Rhys ap Gruffydd


Rhys ap Gruffydd

(rēs äp grĭf`ĭth), 1132?–1197, ruler of South Wales and, after the death (1170) of Owain GwyneddOwain Gwynedd
, d. 1170, prince of North Wales (1137–70). During the troubled reign of King Stephen of England, Owain and other Welsh princes were able to reoccupy much territory earlier wrested from them by the Anglo-Normans.
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, leader of the Welsh princes. The failure (1165) of the English troops under Henry IIHenry II,
1133–89, king of England (1154–89), son of Matilda, queen of England, and Geoffrey IV, count of Anjou. He was the founder of the Angevin, or Plantagenet, line in England and one of the ablest and most remarkable of the English kings.
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 in Wales and Henry's later domestic troubles contributed to Rhys's power. In 1171 he signed a pact with Henry, and he helped the king suppress the rebellion of 1173–74. After Henry's death, however, Rhys revolted against the absent Richard I. The first recorded eisteddfodeisteddfod
[Welsh,=session], Welsh competitive festival. Contests traditionally are held in all the arts and crafts, with special emphasis on music and poetry. The National Eisteddfod is held annually for one week in August, alternately in the north and the south, but local
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 was held by Rhys in Cardigan in 1176.